Recipe Preparation

Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add cabbage and cook, tossing often, until edges are browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, tossing often, until thickest parts of cabbage leaves are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Remove from heat and set skillet aside.

Place udon in a large heatproof bowl (or pot if you don’t have one) and cover with 6 cups boiling water. Let sit 1 minute, stirring to break up noodles, then drain in a colander. Transfer noodles back to bowl and toss with sesame oil. Transfer cabbage to bowl with noodles. Wipe out skillet.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in same skillet over medium-high and add pork, breaking up and spreading across surface of pan with a spatula or tongs. Cook pork, undisturbed, until underside is brown, about 3 minutes. The pork will never brown if you’re fussing with it the whole time, so when we say “undisturbed,” that means keep your paws off it and let the heat of the pan and the pork do their thing. When pork is browned, break up meat into small bits. Cook, tossing, just until there’s no more pink, about 1 minute. Add chopped scallions (the pale parts), ginger, and red pepper. Continue to cook, tossing often, until scallions are softened and bottom of skillet has started to brown, about 1 minute. Add udon mixture, mirin, and soy sauce and cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are coated in sauce (be sure to scrape bottom of skillet to dissolve any browned bits), about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and fold in 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds and dark-green parts of scallions. Top with more sesame seeds before serving.

Recipe by Claire Saffitz

Reviews Section

Reviews

My wife whipped this up for dinner tonight, swapping in a homemade pork substitute to make it animal free, and it was amazing!! I know it says 4 servings, but given the right set of circumstances, I could probably polish off the whole thing it was so good. We'll definitely make this again.

lotofsnowBuffalo05/08/20

Love it an instant classic and definitely on the rotation.

AnonymousIreland 04/28/20

I live for this recipe—and I’d maybe die for it?! I use coconut oil to fry the cabbage and I find that imparts a nice nutty flavour to this dish. Be careful with the red pepper flakes, which can sometimes overpower these noodles. I’ve made this recipe with rice noodles for friends who can’t eat udon and they loved it. But the udon is perfect and the dish truly is better than takeout. Pair with ice-cold light beer or a crisply chilled glass of wine. Be happy for yourself you had the good sense to make dinner.

monobrownVancouver, BC04/23/20

I absolutely love this recipe!!! I normally use ground chicken (but it’s great with the pork too) and use bok choy instead of cabbage. Much better than any takeout I’ve had!

AnonymousNew York04/18/20

We make this CONSTANTLY. It got to the point where we ate so much of it, got sick of it, switched out udon with ramen, and unlocked a whole new layer of joy. This is such a phenomenal recipe and so easy to make!

babskinMinnesota04/12/20

We have to have made this at least 25 times since we first tried it. It is the go-to comfort meal that is always reliable. It's incredibly easy and incredibly delicious. I'm pretty sure we've had it multiple times in one week before and plan to again soon.

Anonymous04/06/20

This dish is fire. We subbed mushrooms for the pork and added chili garlic sauce, broccoli, bok choy and shredded carrots. This will be added to our rotation. It is reminiscent of Yan Can Cook.

AnonymousCincinnati 03/14/20

This is perfectly fine. A bit boring but very easy to make. I had to add way more red pepper to make it taste flavorful.

AnonymousLos Angeles01/27/20

Absolutely loved this, one of my new favorites!!

AnonymousGermany01/23/20

I made this vegetarian and didn’t sub anything for the pork- i suspect this might be why is tasted a bit too salty for me since there was something missing to soak up the soy sauce. I should invest in some low sodium soy sauce, but it’s what was in the cabinet. I also used Cabbage kimchi instead of regular cabbage since it’s what I had on hand- was good fried! I would like to try this again with a meat option (might try for ground turkey) and go with less soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce.

jennaaliyahansLos Angeles01/15/20

I just made this and. Oh boy it is so delicious !!!!
Thank you
California
1/9/20

AnonymousCalifornia 01/09/20

I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it twice now. I only have a few edits, for the cabbage I would just use the whole thing, for the udon noodles I would only use 8oz and instead of chili flakes I used 1 TBS of garlic chili sauce. An absolute knockout weeknight recipe that my boyfriend is obsessed with!

Denver, CO01/03/20

I use frozen udon and fresh shrimp and whatever vegetables I have lying around. Onions and red peppers are my favorite.

capemaycook10/25/19

This recipe is absolutely everything it promises. Delicious, easy. It instantly became a part of my regular rotation. Makes excellent leftovers, too.

kate and eat it too10/22/19

My girlfriend can't get enough of this recipe. We use the frozen udon from the Asian market, and while we're there we pick up Bulgogi-style thinly-sliced pork belly (holy moly it is so good, and easier to pick up with chopstix). We only use 1/4c each of soy sauce and mirin - the recipe amount made too much sauce that wouldn't thicken. Threw in some leftover shredded carrots and broccoli one time and have never looked back. We probably make this recipe once a week!

AnonymousChicago, IL08/29/19

Super delish. To make it a bit healthier I used extra cabbage, half the oil, ground chicken instead of pork, and about a third of the mirin and soy sauce. It was excellent.

arhoSan Francisco07/30/19

Awesome recipe! I followed the recipe with the two exceptions: 16 oz ground turkey and half a head of cabbage. Thank you, chef! This was an easy and fabulous dish!

AnonymousMinnesota06/14/19

A hit! Added browned shiitakes, twice the pork, one minced Serrano and the rest as is. Also wonderful for breakfast.

AnonymousMinnesota06/10/19

This is an amazing recipe. Pork mince is so versatile and it is delicious in this recipe. The flavours here are excellent. I am sharing it with all my friends. I think the only thing is to be wary of your pork mince fat content and alter oil used depending on that. Thanks bon appétit!

FiovanaAberdeen, UK05/25/19

A new favorite for sure. Made it exactly as listed the first time, doubled the pork and added some shredded carrots, as well as some brown sugar to the mirin mix for a little added sweetness on subsequent makings. Lots of flavor and just an outstanding recipe to build on if so desired. Thanks for sharing!

tparsonsMinnesota05/12/19

Better the next day :-) I made with rice noodles... would be interested how it would cook with ground chicken and some more veggies

Anonymous05/09/19

Amazingly simple!

AnonymousCanada05/07/19

Have made this gem twice now! (once true to recipe, second time, with different vegetables and tofu instead) For someone who craves Chinese takeout daily, this is an amazing alternative and so easy to do!
Tastes even better day 2 as cold (or re-heated) office lunch :)

jackiebiberMontreal, QC05/04/19

Ive made this recipe multiple times now because thats how much i love it. After the first time I made this I have always made more noodles. Also super tasty for leftovers. Ive added roasted peanuts for a crunch or an fried egg on top .